The Greatest Generation
by Ghostunderasheet
Summary: The greatest pirates of the generation must protect their children from the Marines and hide them on Dawn Island. What happens when the three more are added to the ASL Trio? This is the story of the Greatest Generation, their meeting, their nakama and their adventures from childhood and on through their lives.
1. Pirates are Coming!

**Ghostunderasheet here with a new story! Yeah, I know, I've already got three in progress but whatever, right? So, since I'm lazy, I'm only writing the usual stuff once. WARNING: language, violence, slavery. Nothing too graphic (aside from the language) beyond: it really hurt, there was puss and gore, etc. If that stuff's too much for you then back out now because there's a lot of it. DISCLAIMER: obviously I don't own One Piece or I wouldn't be writing a FanFiction, now would I? I do own my OCs, but you can feel free to use them if you want, just tell me and I can add a link to your story/drabble/whatever. I love feedback, from flames to fangirls (or fanboys, I don't judge) so leave a review if you want. I think I've covered everything, so stop reading this annoying AN and skip to the story already! **

* * *

-Luffy POV-

Someone was screaming outside. I didn't really think it was all that important until he got close enough for me to hear what he was saying. "Pirates! Pirates are coming! Run for your lives!" It was the most exciting news I'd heard all day, probably in my entire life. Well, being seven I hadn't had very many opportunities to get too excited. And yet… "PIRATES! EVERYBODY RUN!"

I ran all right, but not the way I think he wanted me to. I heard Makino calling for me as I tore out of the bar but I ignored her. I had an opportunity to see actual pirates! There was no way I would miss this chance.

The ship was huge! Well, it was bigger than any other ship I'd ever seen before at least. We only had fishing boats and such so I was very excited. It had a figurehead that looked kind of like a dragon and an actual pirate flag and everything! "Wow," I whispered. "It's real." I'm sure my eyes were shining.

"Luffy, get back," Mayor snapped at me, stomping his way past and shoving me behind a nearby barrel to hide me from sight. "Oi pirates!" he shouted, "Get out of here! Your kind isn't welcome here!"

A head popped up over the railing, just barely, before ducking down again. Straining my ears, I could make out two voices. "No! You're not welcome! Go away! OW! Why'd you hit me?!" It sounded strangely like a little girl's voice. _Is that what pirates really sound like?_ I wondered, disappointed. _I figured they'd sound scarier. Whoever that is doesn't sound scary at all_.

"They live here you idiot," a second voice scolded. "They have every right to be here. We're guests. That's why we're asking permission to dock." Whoever he was, he didn't sound very old. That didn't seem very pirate-y either. Maybe they were fake pirates? No, that would be stupid.

"Then they should be politer to their guests!" the first voice retorted angrily.

"You mean they should be more polite. There is no such word as 'politer'."

"Yes there is, I just made it up! It's a real word now!"

A much taller head appeared, walking towards the rail. _Now __that guy_ _looks like a pirate! So cool!_ "Sorry about those two," he shouted down, putting a hand on his straw hat. "Kat never stops running her mouth and Falcon's not much better. Mind if we dock here?"

"Of course we mind!" Mayor shouted. "Get off this island! Pirates aren't welcome!"

"That's racist!" shouted the first voice. "Pirates are awesome! Greatest people ever!"

"Yeah!" I shouted, forgetting I was supposed to be hiding behind a barrel to watch. "Pirates are awesome! Let them dock!"

"Yeah! What he said!" I was starting to like this first voice after all.

"Pirates aren't a race you idiots." added the second voice. "You're both idiots."

* * *

-Shanks POV-

Kat was a little too excited about seeing land. Plus, I think she'd already made a friend before she even landed this time. Whoever it was hiding (rather poorly considering the shouting) behind the barrel had already caught her attention. Falcon didn't seem to care. Then again, I don't think I've seen him intentionally allow his expression to show that he cared about anything since we started this voyage. Both children were too short to see over the rail, meaning they were also too short to be seen over the rail (except when Kat jumped and could just peek over the edge). I considered that a good thing. If they couldn't be seen, they couldn't be shot at, not that I was worried about that under these circumstances.

"Oh, come on, we've got to dock somewhere, we're low on supplies and Kat's getting restless. I promise not to pillage anything while I'm here," I offered. "We don't mean any harm."

"No! Pirates are pirates! You shouldn't brainwash children!" the man yelled at me angrily.

"I'm not brainwashed you old coot!" Kat screeched indignantly, jumping again and trying to see over the rail. "My daddy's awesome! Pirates rule! Everyone else sucks!" Kat had certainly gotten over excited. I wondered mildly if she'd gotten into the sugar supplies but shook my head. If Kat had access to sugar, things would be much worse. As it was she was still very over energetic though. It was just land.

"Kat, calm down," I scolded. "There are plenty of perfectly good people who aren't pirates. You don't need to- KAT!"

Fortunately, Falcon managed to grab her ankle before she fell completely. Apparently she'd been trying to climb over the rail and had succeeded, forgetting that this side of the ship was over land and not water. If Falcon hadn't grabbed her she could have cracked her head open! I could hear her laughing delightedly, still suspended upside-down over what would mean certain death for her little nine year old skull.

"I got her," Falcon promised, Kat's weight pinning him against the rail with his feet of the ground. "We're good," he assured me.

"Aww, but I wanted to go to the island," Kat complained.

I snatched her up from Falcon's grip and immediately crushed the girl to my chest. "Akagami Katherine, if you ever scare me like that again I'm going to keep you on a leash for the rest of your life!"

Kat giggled again. "Daddy, you're hugging me upside-down! All the blood's going to my head and I'm getting dizzy!"

"Well you wouldn't be upside-down if you hadn't tried to jump off the ship!" I shouted. _Dear god, this child will be the death of me_.

"It could have been worse," Falcon shrugged. "And you're ignoring the mayor," he added as an afterthought.

I realized he was right. "Sorry about that! Now about docking the ship… hopefully before Kat tries to escape again?"

The man seemed to be in shock at my daughter's near-death experience. I took it as permission. "Alright, Ben! Drop anchor! He says it's okay and I want to get Kat on dry land before she jumps for it again."

* * *

-Falcon POV-

I do not know why I must be subjected to this idiocy. No, that's a lie. I know exactly why I'm here. What I don't understand is how exactly Kat managed to survive on this or any ship without careful and constant supervision, something her father is clearly incapable of providing. The girl is far too curious, reckless and careless. What kind of idiot tries to jump off a ship even if there is water there, especially without checking that it's safe? What kind of idiot jumps of a ship period? Maybe she only seems insane to me because I'm eleven and she's nine. Then again, I'm sure I was never that impulsive when I was nine. My father would not have tolerated it.

That thought squeezed at my heart more than I expected it to. I shouldn't be so sentimental about being away from home, especially when I understood why it had been necessary for me to leave. Dad wanted me to be safe.

The rest didn't matter; even if I had to put up with this headache-inducing girl and her father, not to mention his insane crew. The only person who seemed to have any semblance of normalcy was Ben. Unfortunately, he seemed to be taking advantage of my presence here to use me as a babysitter for Kat. It was a full time job.

Kat looked like her father much as I looked like mine. Her hair was slightly lighter than his, closer to a dark pink than a genuine red but still clearly similar and usually pulled up carelessly into a side ponytail pulled out the top of her black visor. I don't think there has been a single instance in which she wasn't grinning her head off during this entire trip, even when she was sleeping. Kat was probably half a head shorter than me, though contributing to that was the fact that she seemed to have some sort of bizarre abhorrence for proper footwear. When I asked Ben about it he simply said that every time shoes were bought for her, she threw them overboard. Aside from that though Kat was reasonably normal, wearing denim shorts and a light purple tank top.

Compared to me, with my black hair, black sunglasses and black clothes, she was a riot of color and energy. Something for which I did not envy her. _How is she supposed to remain inconspicuous like that? Doesn't she realize that if we attract the attention of the Navy, that they'll kill us simply for being born?_

* * *

**So how was it? Did I do a good job introducing Kat and Falcon or do you want more character development before we get to the main plot? Has anyone guessed who Falcon's father is yet? I don't think I gave you many clues this chapter so… If you get it already then you're probably awesome. **


	2. The Boy Who Wouldn't Run

-Sabo POV-

While running away had been exciting for maybe the first forty-five minutes, I was starting to get bored as the thrill wore off. I was delighted to be free of my parents, to be out meandering on my own and without constraints for the very first time in my life, but I was getting a bit hungry. And a little worried about the glances I was receiving, dressed as I was in the part of town I was in.

I would have to dirty my clothes up pretty soon so I could start blending in better or I might start getting in trouble. I don't think people liked Nobles around here. Not that I blamed them. We- they aren't exactly the nicest of people to those they considered 'beneath themselves' and when everyone was 'beneath them' they tended to make a lot of enemies. Especially in poorer areas like this.

I had never been allowed to see these places before. I therefore wasn't sure whether to categorize myself as lost or exploring. While I wasn't sure where I was, I did know how I got here and how to get back. Then again, I had no intention of returning to my parents anytime soon.

The people out here were so much more interesting. True, they smelt a bit worse and looked a bit scarier, but I considered it a worthy tradeoff if it meant that I could listen in on their conversations and overhear their stories.

One sentence in particular caught my attention: "What if Gold Roger had a son?" _What an interesting question_. I turned towards the voice. The boy asking couldn't have been any older than me, but it was obvious that he came from the streets. Or possibly worse, judging by the smell. Not that I blamed him for it. Sometimes the smells of perfumes and body washes and cleanliness got to me back 'home'. It was almost better to smell the streets. They smelt more honest.

"I think he sounds like an interesting person," I answered without thinking. "I would like to meet him. I bet he'd have all sorts of adventures…" My voice trailed off when I realized how many people were looking at me. There were only about four of them in the alleyway but still, outside that one brat who tried to stab me, I'd never been in a fight in my life. _Uh-oh. I'm in trouble now…_

"What'd you say, boy?" I didn't know who the guy was, but he clearly wasn't that happy to see me. He looked to be the leader of the… what does one call such things in real life? A group? A posse? That seemed stupid. I settled for gang.

"Uh… l would like to talk to the son of Gold Roger?" It came out as a question in spite myself. I was definitely reluctant to show any fear of hem. "It just sounds to me like the sort of person who would be interesting," I explained, "Plus, this conversation is entirely hypothetical because -"

"What's hippo-theatrical mean? You makin' fun of me, kid? Because you'd be in for a world ah hurtin' if you was." The man's tone dropped sharply and he bent to get in my face. I could count the fake teeth he had. There were eight. And he needed another three if he wanted a full mouth.

My instincts said to talk my way out of it. To give in to my 'breeding' and to summon help in the form of the police or to threaten the man with my status. It was after all, what I had been trained to do. Because my instincts were telling me to do that however, I did the complete opposite. "So that's what that smell was. I thought it was the street but apparently it was just your breath. I could smell it from way over there, can you believe it?" Naturally, the man swung.

I ducked, which was a good call. I probably would have broken something in my face if the man's blow connected. "Hold still you little brat!" he ordered.

"No thank you," I replied. "If all fake teeth look as bad as yours I'd rather avoid needing any." I dodged again, jumping back. Four against one, and I was unarmed. _This might be a good time to run…_ But I didn't have to.

"Here!" the boy from before shouted, tossing me a pipe.

"What do I do with this?" I panicked, not sure what I was doing.

"Hit them with it!" he ordered.

_Well, I should have thought of that one on my own_. "Good plan!" I shouted, swinging as hard as I could and bringing my new weapon down on the leader's head. He howled in pain and reeled backwards, clutching it.

"I'll kill you!" he threatened. "Get them!"

"Do we run?" I asked my new partner in crime.

"Of course not, we just hit them some more!" he replied happily.

"Good call," I agreed. "It seems to be working." The leader got back up on his feet, drawing a knife from his belt and glaring at me threateningly. "Or not. I'll hit him harder this time then."

"Now you got it!" I wish I could say that my first real fight was a one of a kind experience which I remembered forever or something cheesy like that, but in all honesty, over time it's just blurred together with all the other fights Ace has gotten me into. I know we struck first, and I know we charged them screaming like idiots, and I know that the leader lost several of his fake teeth and I know that by the end we weren't running anywhere so much as striding confidently from the scene, but the middle part is a bit of a blur.

"I'm Sabo by the way," I said, extending a hand.

"Portagas D. Ace," the other boy said simply, shaking it. "Would you really not care if you met the son of Gold Roger?" Ace asked me suspiciously. "Most people would want to kill m-him you know."

I think I knew that my answer to that question would be important. It was the kind of question that changed lives in ways that you couldn't understand. The consequences weren't the sort of thing I could anticipate. Most people would stop and consider their reply, formulating the safest response they could think up. But I didn't want to do that. So rather than think about it, I just answered with the truth: "Well, I wouldn't 'not care' exactly, but it's not like you've got to be just like your father. People shouldn't care about stuff like that, even if they do. It's stupid in my opinion. Everyone should just mind their own business."

Ace grinned. And I knew that I had a friend in Ace. Who was most certainly the son of Gold Roger. And who also was unable to choose his family.

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**So… sorry for not updating sooner. All sorts of ****_crazy_**** stuff has been going on over here (not that you really care about details/excuses) so I've been kind of swamped lately but I'm back now! And ****_hopefully_**** I'll be updating more regularly too. **


	3. Mr Fisher-sama

"_Mom? What was my dad like?" _

I opened my eyes. I wanted to ask again, to try to get a better answer. Of course I did, because I wanted to know. Who wouldn't? And yet…

_Mom looked at me with sad eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say something but the words got stuck in her throat. She tried again but her eyes watered and she started weeping silently. Mom shook her head. "I… He…" _

"_It's okay. You don't have to tell me."_

I wouldn't ask again. Not if it made my mom cry. Mom was brave and strong and unbreakable and she wasn't supposed to cry. I caught myself wondering if maybe my dad was a horrible person to make her react like that. But I decided it was probably the opposite. Because thinking of horrible things is easy, but thinking of happy thing, now that's painful.

So I grew up never knowing anything about my father. Mind you, that was never the thing in my life I was most worried about. Most of the time I was more worried about whether or not I had pleased my master.

I hate words like that. Master. Slave. Property. Pet. But that's what my world consists of. And I'm not on the end of things where I can do anything about it. Because I'm … a pet. A pet's purpose is to please its master. And right now, I was in huge trouble.

No matter how vigilant and determined a person is, it is simply impossible for them to go through their entire life without ever accidentally knocking over something large and important, especially as a child. It can and will happen to seemingly everyone at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, this is what I had managed to accomplish quite spectacularly. I'm not entirely sure how I managed it, but I was now completely and utterly pinned under a very large, very heavy bookshelf, my head and one arm peeping out the top along with several slightly crumpled books.

Maybe for a normal person, being trapped under a bookshelf wouldn't be so bad, so long as they managed to get out from under it they'd be just fine. But for a slave to knock over her master's bookshelf… now that was a killing offense. If I were strong enough to set the bookshelf upright and whatnot then that would be one thing, I could hide the evidence and no one would know. But seeing as I was only six years old… well, there wasn't much I could do about that, now was there? I couldn't ever cry for help because let's face it, that would only summon more trouble sooner than it was already coming.

So, naturally, I did what any other six year old girl would do in this situation: I broke down and cried as quietly as I possibly could. I viscously wiped my tears and snot away with my available arm but it didn't do much and I couldn't reach my face very well from this position. I whimpered pathetically. I could only manage to think thought along the lines of 'I don't want to die' and 'how could I be so stupid?' For a child to have to face death and know it's coming, it was simply something that had happened to me.

_If only I hadn't been born a slave_. But then I wouldn't be my mother's daughter. And I did love my mom… Nobody would bother to tell her what happened to me either. I just wouldn't come back to the slave pens one day and she'd have to figure it out on her own. She'd probably cry. I hated making my mother cry.

Suddenly the weight was off my back. _They've come. They've found me. I'm going to die_. I squeezed my eyes shut and held my hands over my head protectively. Then I realized that I was in a cowardly position. I immediately snapped my eyes open and stood up, determined not to die a coward's death. Even someone born a slave was allowed to have courage, right? That's what my mom said.

But I didn't see what I was expecting. It was just one guy. He was obviously a slave too, judging from the large brand on the centre of his chest, mirroring the one I had on my back. He didn't look mad at me. In fact, if I had to guess I'd say he was happy I was okay.

"Thank you, mister. If I can put the books back, no one will ever know! I wonder how I can reach the high shelves…" I muttered, my voice trailing off.

He knelt and picked up a book, taking the chance to look me in the eyes from his newly decreased height, though I still had to look up slightly. "You're not scared of me?" he asked quietly, apparently surprised for some reason.

I tilted my head. _But he just helped me. So why would I be scared?_ "Is it because you look funny?" I asked thoughtlessly, immediately covering my mouth and then uncovering it to say, "I'm sorry. Mom said I wasn't supposed to point out when people look funny because it's rude and I could get in trouble. Are you mad at me?"

My savior looked perplexed for a moment before blinking a few times and returning to himself. He actually joked with me, making me smile, "Well, your hair is kind of funny-looking too, you know? I've never seen someone with purple hair before."

"It's not purple it's lavender," I corrected, replacing more books onto the lower shelves where I could still reach them. "Mom says it matches my eyes!"

"You're a funny little human, aren't you?" he asked, helping me replace the books with a small laugh in his voice. I liked being able to do that. Give people small smiles. It made me feel really useful.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded petulantly, "I'm not that little. And if I am it's just because I'm underfed. Not my fault."

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Rae. Rackham D Rae. And what's your name, Mr. Savior-sama?"

"Fisher Tiger," he supplied.

"You've got a weird name," I decided. "Oops! I'm not supposed to say that either am I?"

"No, you probably shouldn't. But it's okay. I don't mind."

"You're really nice, you know that?" I asked. "I like you. I'm going to help you too!"

"And how would someone as small as you possibly help me?" Mr. Fisher-sama asked teasingly. I knew he was joking though so it was okay. "You're just one person, and a small one at that."

"One person can to quite a lot, that's what my mom said," I told him, using my best I-know-better-than-you voice, "And I'm smart. I'll find a way to help you. I owe you one."

"If you say so kid, if you say so."


	4. Why Mountain Bandits Suck

-Kat POV-

This is so exciting! My first island outside of the Grand Line! And they don't like pirates! If there's fighting, I'll definitely get to help this time because Falcon's been looking really tired recently so I know I can sneak past him. He never lets me do anything fun, then again, he's also really nice and he makes really funny faces sometimes (when he's mad) so I guess it's okay. Falcon doesn't seem very excited about a new island… maybe it's just because he's tired.

But I'm not. I bolted down the gangplank as fast as I could "First!" I shouted. I turned around. "All you guys are slower than me!"

"Does that make you really fast?" a boy asked, running up to me.

"No, I just think they're lazy," I whispered to him.

"If you want to keep it a secret, don't shout," Falcon said, catching up to me and frowning slightly.

My eyes widened in shock. "Wow, man, you've got ears like a hawk!"

Falcon pushed his sunglasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Don't be ridiculous. Now aren't you forgetting something?"

"Like what?" I asked, "Can't we get food in the village?"

Falcon sighed, apparently irritated because he rolled his eyes at me. "Hello, I'm- uh, Draco Falcon. Nice to meet you."

"But Falcon, I thought your last name was-MNPH!" Falcon put his hand over my mouth! Ew! I licked his hand. "Why'd you do that you jerk?!" I shouted, more indignant than actually angry.

"And this is Kat. What's your name?" Falcon continued as if nothing happened.

"I'm Monkey D Luffy!" he shouted proudly.

"Monkey?" I asked. "That's a weird name. But my name means-MNPH!"

"Kat's name means pure. It's short for Katherine," Falcon interrupted me (again!) while putting a hand over my mouth (again!).

Naturally, I licked his hand (again!) and shouted at him, "Stop doing that! Your hand tastes nasty!"

Falcon glanced at his hand. "There's nothing unclean or unusual about my hands," he muttered petulantly. He was totally pouting, not that he'd ever say as much. "Anyway, uh, Luffy," Falcon said his name funny, like he thought his name was strange. I thought it was a bit funny that Falcon thought that Monkey was a weird name. Who keeps naming their kids after animals anyway? Must be idiots. "Do you know where we can feed Kat? She's probably hungry by now and she'll start getting cranky soon."

"I do not get cranky! Shut up you meanie!" I screeched indignantly.

Falcon gave Luffy a look that said, '_see what I mean?_' and Luffy grinned at us. "Follow me! Makino's really nice so I know she'll give you guys food too!"

* * *

-Falcon POV-

The number of idiots I'm responsible for had doubled. Luffy as just as bad, if not worse than Kat when it comes to self-restraint. Plus, I think I've got a bit of a headache now which is just not helping the situation at all.

"My punches are as strong as pistols!" Luffy bragged loudly, miming a punch to prove his point. Somehow I doubted the sincerity of his words. Actually, outside of Yassop's demonstration this morning, I doubted that Luffy had ever seen a pistol fired in person.

"Are the now?" Shanks asked around a mouthful of food, not even bothering to look over.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Luffy protested.

"Heh," Luffy Roo scoffed, "He means you're too much of a kid, kid!"

"And he's right you know," Yassop agreed, "I've got a kid of my own who's about as old as you."

"I'm not a kid! I'm a grownup!" Luffy shouted at a volume which should not be proportionate to his size. _How could someone so __small_ _be so __loud__? My head hurts. _

"Here," Shanks said, clearly hiding amusement behind his voice, "have some juice and clam down."

"Wow, thanks Shanks!" Luffy said happily. _Is he serious?_ I wondered. One second Luffy's mad as a hornet and now he's totally pacified. By juice. _What a child_.

Apparently Shanks agreed with me because he started laughing loudly, smacked the table and shouted, "I don't know one pirate who drinks juice!" _You be quiet too! You're setting a bad example for Kat and Luffy!_ I raged internally but said nothing. I knew there was no point attempting to fix the damage which had already been done to Kat and that Luffy was already almost as bad anyway.

"Hey! You tricked me!" Luffy protested as the bar erupted into laughter. I snorted softly. "Stop laughing!" Luffy demanded angrily but he was mostly ignored. "That was a cheap shot!"

"What's wrong with juice?" Kat asked, looking up balefully from her glass. "It's good." She gave me a kicked puppy look. _Damn, now I've got to comfort her_.

"There's nothing wrong with juice," I assured her as patiently as I could with a now growing headache. "It's just not something that most pirates would choose to drink when they could have sake or something like that." Thinking to put it into terms she understood I added, "Sake is what the cool people drink - sake or wine, whichever."

"Oh. Okay," Kat agreed, nodding happily in understanding. I was immediately on edge. _That was too easy_. Nothing is ever that easy with Kat involved. "Then can I have sake too?!" I had to restrain myself from the urge to slap myself in the head.

Makino laughed, overhearing our conversation. "You'd have to ask your father about that one, and no. We're out of sake anyway. Even if he says yes you'll have to wait for some other time."

Kat visibly deflated and I sighed in relief. I didn't want to know what would happen if someone as already hyperactive as Kat was granted access to alcohol. Or coffee. Or sugar. Damn, I'd have to keep a tight watch on her while we were on land. It would be too easy for her to get her hands on dangerous substances. That is to say, substances dangerous to the mental health of people around her.

I caught myself thinking of ways to keep Kat away from energizing substances and frowned slightly. Why should this be my responsibility? Kat was traveling with me, sure. And she was rather attached to me but that shouldn't make her my problem. Right? I should do a better job of keeping my distance.

Before I could follow those thoughts to a satisfying conclusion, the bar door flew off its hinges, kicked from the outside. It rattled to the floor as the rest of the bar fell quiet. _Blissful silence_.

"Excuse us," a voice sneered, now the only sound aside from Shanks's fork scraping lightly against his plate and completely ruining my perfect quiet. _Whoever's talking, I think I hate them. No, that's irresponsible. I can't go cutting people up just because they disturb my rest_. I shrugged and returned to my snack. I had no need to get involved but I should be prepared for a fight anyway. That's what my father had taught me. I checked my belt, already knowing that my curved hunting knife would be there like it always was.

"So these are what pass for pirates around these parts," the voice continued, accompanied by a sound which was doubtless his own footsteps. I didn't turn to look. "Looks rather sad to me," he commented as he stepped on the already de-hinged door and leaned up against the bar.

I spared him a glance. Ugly. Tall. Unremarkable and not that strong. A big fish in a little pond. Absolutely not a threat, at least by my standards. Well, come to think of it, I didn't have my swords with me. My father had cautioned against carrying them around in public and drawing attention to myself so they was safely stored back on the East Wind. Without my swords I wasn't sure which of us would win in a fight. My hand-to-hand combat sucked big time. But it would still improve as I got older though so I wasn't too worried. For this particular instance, Shanks would step in if things got too out of hand.

Makino went over to serve them, doing her job. "Welcome gentlemen, what can I do for you?" she asked politely. I rather respected her. Makino had nice manners and a calm disposition. It was refreshing. Plus, she was relatively quiet too.

"We're mountain bandits," the man announced smugly.

"No duh," Kat muttered to me and I grunted in acknowledgement. It was rather obvious. I bet even Luffy could tell.

"But we didn't come here to tear your place apart." At least the guy hadn't heard Kat's comment. I didn't want her getting in trouble. "All we want is some sake. I'd say… ten barrels should do."

"I'm sorry," Makino began, "but as I was just saying, we're actually fresh out of sake right now."

"Hmm, interesting," he scoffed. _Can he leave now? He's annoying and he's got a loud voice._ "These other pirates seem to still be drinking. Is that water in their glasses?"

"No, that just happens to be the last of what I had stocked up," Makino said, nerves just barely starting to creep into his voice. Her face was still calm though. She wasn't showing this man any weakness. I deeply approved.

"My apologies gentlemen," Shanks said, "looks like me and my friends drank the whole place dry." I mentally corrected him to 'my friends and I' but said nothing aloud. "But," Shanks offered, holding out an unopened bottle of sake he'd been planning to drink, "you can have this if you want. It hasn't even been opened yet. Go ahead."

The bandit sneered and smashed his fist through the glass, shattering it all over Shanks and spilling the contents onto the floor. "I'm wanted," he bragged, "There's an eight million belli bounty on my head. One bottle isn't enough for me. So don't insult me."

"Just great," Shanks muttered. "Now the floor's wet!" he announced. "Sorry about that Makino, you got a rag I can clean this up with?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," she assured him, running around the bar to be helpful. "I'll take care of it," she assured him.

"You're a very rude person, you know that?" Kat accused the mountain bandit. "If you weren't going to drink it you could have given it to me."

"I am absolutely not putting up with you if you get drunk," I protested automatically. "It's much better that the bottle is gone now and out of your reach." At the same time I was thinking, _So much for keeping myself out of it._

"What are you brats talking about? Shouldn't you be a little more afraid for your lives?" the bandit demanded, glaring at us and placing a hand on his sword in what was undoubtedly supposed to be a threatening manner. "My name's Higuma. I've killed fifty six people you know. Kids like you. Once someone's pissed me off-"

"Hey Makino?" Kat asked, standing on her stool and leaning over the bar, "can I have more juice please?"

"Oh, um, of course," she said, dashing back around the bar and leaving Shanks to clean up the bits of broken glass and spilled booze. "Just a second sweetie."

Kat beamed happily and bounced slightly on her stool as her glass was refilled. "Thanks Makino!" she shouted happily and reached for her glass.

"Why do you still want juice? I thought juice was for not cool people?" Luffy asked, confused.

"So says the boy drinking juice," I muttered, annoyed with him.

Higuma punched Kat's juice out of her hands. Bits of glass rained in my direction but I ignored it. "Pay attention when people are talking you little brat," Higuma ordered angrily.

Kat gave him a quick flash of her kicked puppy face before turning to me. "Hey Falcon, can -"

"You can have mine," I assured her, scooching my glass over before she could even finish asking the question. I'd already grown accustomed to accommodating Kat's seemingly constant needs. I could spare the juice if it meant I could be spared of whining and the kicked puppy face. Makino would probably be kind enough to give me a refill anyway and I had no defense against the kicked puppy face. Not even Ben did.

Before she could drink from it, Higuma smashed that glass too. Kat frowned. "That's very childish you know," she scolded. "You can't break thing just because you don't like them." She sounded like she was repeating one of Shanks's gentle scoldings, of which she got plenty. Several times a day Kat would discover something else she wasn't supposed to do and it would have to be carefully explained to her what she was doing wrong.

Higuma looked furious but contained it, barely. "Brat, stop pissing me off!" he threatened. "I'll kill you!"

Kat looked over to me and Luffy, confused. "What did I do wrong?" she asked earnestly.

I sighed in defeat. "You're not supposed to ignore people when they're talking, Kat. You're supposed to give them your full attention. Anything less is rude."

"But he wasn't talking to me," Kat argued. "Am I just supposed to be cowering in fear on the sidlelines or something?"

"That's stupid," Luffy decided. "Pirates don't cower and neither to I!" he announced proudly.

"Okay fine," I yielded. "You guys don't have to cower but at the very least don't try to talk over people. It's rude. Don't interrupt them either."

"But I don't get it…" Kat mumbled, staring morosely at what had once been her juice. My juice too, now that I think about it. "How come I gotta act different just because he's being rude?"

"I don't get it either," Luffy agreed.

Kat blinked innocently, turning back to Higuma. "I've come to the conclusion that you're just a cranky person. I'm just gonna ignore you now," she informed him. "Hey, Makino? I'm sorry about your glasses. I'll make my daddy pay for them since it's sorta my fault and I'm flat broke so I can't do it myself."

"That's my girl," Shanks said fondly, getting up to put a hand on her head. "Always looking out for others."

"You little bitch!" Higuma roared and drew his sword. Well, he started to anyway. He didn't get very far. Instantly, the Red Haired Pirates leaped into action. Blades were drawn and at the bandits' throats before they could blink. Even I had my hunting knife up against Higuma's side, despite knowing it would make little difference. He and his subordinates froze in terror, not that they could move very far without getting cut anyway. "N-Now see here," Higuma started but he didn't get very far.

"I don't particularly care if you are a grouchy person," Shanks informed him, "But nobody touches my daughter and gets away with it. Do you understand?" The bandit leader swallowed nervously and nodded. "Good, now apologize to Makino."

Anger flashed across the bandit leader's face for half a second before it was replaced by the fear and he swallowed again, Shanks's sword still at his neck. "I, I'm sorry," he choked out. It was obvious that it was killing him to say it but he was too afraid for his life to stand up for his pride. _What a coward_.

"Now leave," Shanks said simply, sheathing his sword and ceasing to pay the bandit any mind. His men stood down too, no longer interested. His men did the same. I stuck my knife back in its sheath on my belt. None of us bothered to watch as Higuma stumbled away, terrified for his life and quickly followed by his thugs.

"Ne, Shanks," Luffy demanded, frowning, "how come you let that guy make fun of you? You weren't scared of him at all but you let him push you around. That's stupid, isn't it?"

"It was just a little spilt sake, Luffy, nothing to get upset over," he explained casually. "There was no need to fight him over something so small. Some things just aren't worth fighting over."

Kat was pulling on my sleeve repetitively. I tried to ignore her but she kept tugging. "What?" I asked, irritated. Kat pointed at Luffy. He was chewing messily, which was no surprise for him. Luffy didn't know how to chew neatly and probably couldn't if he wanted to. _Why is he eating something… purple… and __swirly _ "SHANKS! LUFFY'S EATING YOUR DEVIL FRUIT!" I shouted in realization before immediately clapping a hand over my mouth, embarrassed to have lost control and panicked like that.

"**WHAT?!**" Shanks panicked. I felt mildly reassured to note that he panicked more than I had. "Spit it out!" he ordered, grabbing Luffy by the ankles and shaking him upside down. _As if that would help. He's already eaten it. It's too late for that_. "Right now! Every single bit of it!"

"What are you doing?!" Luffy yelled, "Why are you shaking me?!"

Luffy's legs stretched so his face got stuck to the floor. _Well that's not something most people see every day._ Everyone was silent for a moment.

When his body snapped back into shape and Kat realized what had happened she screamed. "AAGH! LUFFY'S GOT SOME WEIRD STRETCHING DISEASE! HE'S GONNA DIE!" I snorted but covered my mouth. It wasn't that funny.

"AAGH! I'M GONNA DIE?!" Luffy panicked. "SHANKS! SAVE ME!"

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. "Nobody's going to die!" I informed them, chuckling slightly at their relieved faces. "It's just a Devil Fruit is all."

"O~oh," Kat realized. "That's okay then. I was worried for a minute there!"

"Luffy, you just ate the Gum Gum Fruit, part of a group called the Devil Fruits! Eating any of them takes away your ability to swim for the rest of your life but the one you just ate also turns you body to rubber!" Shanks yelled. _Why is he still yelling? Hadn't he realized that everyone else was already over this already?_

"No way! It can't!" Luffy yelled, now panicked all over again.

"You dumbass!" Shanks accused.

_Well, as dumb as Luffy is… _"You're the one who left an unlocked box containing a valuable and expensive Devil Fruit out on the counter in a public bar in front of a child who you already knew would eat anything and everything in his path," I pointed out. "Aren't you being a bit hypocritical here?"

"You know, when you make that face you remind me too much of your father," Shanks muttered irritably. "I think smugness runs in your family."

"Thank you. I take that as a compliment."


	5. Escaping is Against the Rules

-Rae POV-

"Hey Mom?" I asked, knowing she was tired and it would probably be better to let her sleep right now but needing an answer anyway.

"Yes? What is it sweetie?" she asked softly, reluctantly pulling herself into wakefulness.

I felt a little bit guilty about ruining some of her sleep but pushed it down. "I know I'm not allowed to escape until I'm seventeen, but can I -?"

"Rackham D Rae, what did you get yourself into now?" Mom demanded, fully awake now and using that parental I'm-worried-and-angry-at-the-same-time tone of voice she got when she thought I'd done something stupid. "Whatever it is, please tell me you didn't get caught."

"I'm okay, mom. Don't worry. I'm safe. But Mom, am I allowed to help other people?" I asked, hopeful. Before she could answer I said, "Because there's this guy who's really nice and he kind of looks funny because he's pink but he helped me and I wanna help him back because that's fair and since he's really strong I wanna help him escape. If that's okay. Because I know you don't like me being in danger but I promise I'll be careful."

Mom was silent for a moment. I waited. I knew better than to interrupt her when she was worrying because it just made her even more overprotective. "You have the right to be a good person. No one can ever take that away from you." She squeezed me close. I always slept in mom's lap because she was more comfortable than the floor, that and it made me feel safe. "That being said," she continued, "I couldn't bear it if anything were to happen to you. You've got to swear to me that you won't do anything rash yourself. Not until you're seventeen." Mom took a deep breath. "You can do whatever you think you have to, but only on the condition that you never, under any circumstances, do anything that will get you caught. Do you understand? I can't lose you, sweetie. I love you so much."

"I love you too Mom," I hugged her as well as I could while already being crushed into her chest. I really did love my mom. She was all I had. "You should get some sleep."

"And this coming from my tired little trooper," Mom teased me. "Rae, get some rest. You can help your friend tomorrow."

I wiggled into my mom's side and listened as her breathing evened out and she fell asleep again. I wasn't sure why I wasn't sleeping yet. I was tired and sore from the work I'd been doing all day. But my brain was awake.

* * *

"Hey, Mr. Fisher-sama?" he hummed in reply, busy lifting something large and heavy so that I could clean under it, which I did quickly. I didn't want him to drop it by accident and for me to get crushed, not when 'injured' meant 'broken' and 'broken' meant 'disposable'. "How come you never try to run away?" I asked him curiously.

The statue quivered over my head and I dashed out from under it before he could forget he was holding it up. The fishman set it down slowly, missing me entirely. "You-... you could get killed for thinking like that, you know kid?" he warned, looking at me funny. I think he was wondering how someone like me was still here and still alive.

"Only if you get caught. Mom says I'm not allowed to escape because I'm too small and weak, but you're big and strong, so what would it matter? Besides, if I didn't have to worry about leaving my mom behind, I would have tried running away long ago, even if it meant maybe dying. I want to know what it's like to be free." The last part came out as a whisper. I could never say it in front of Mom because if I did, she'd feel terribly guilty and I hated doing that to her.

"Kid… how old are you?" Mr. Fisher-sama asked, apparently bewildered.

I held up one hand, all my fingers extended proudly, then glanced at it. I added another finger from my other hand. "Six!" I said proudly. "I used to be five and three quarters but I'm six now! Mom says I'm not allowed to try anything until I'm seventeen and I'm big. That's not for over a decade! That's a long time…"

"You're six years old and you have thoughts like that?" he persisted. We were only pretending to work at the moment in case someone came by, but this place was so big it hardly mattered. Still, better safe than dead, we didn't get chances to be sorry.

"I talk to the old people in my slave pen," I explained, "They've got great stories! About pirates and stuff. My mom does too, she used to be a famous thief. She's the coolest!"

"Keep your voice down," Mr. Fisher-san scolded automatically. But I don't think he was really listening anymore. "Kid, you know you got a bomb collar around your neck, right? It'll explode. Don't go doing reckless things," he scolded. "You'll die."

"Not if you steal the key," I pointed out, lowering my voice carefully. "You can swim right?"

"Well, yes," Mr. Fisher-sama agreed, "I can swim very well. I'm a Fishman so -"

"A what?" I asked.

"A Fishman," he explained again. I think he didn't quite understand why I didn't already know this. Nobody had explained it to me before.

"Is that why your skin's pink?" I asked him. "Because sometimes I see funny-looking people like you but I never got why. So they were Fishmans?"

"It's 'Fishmen', but yes," Mr. Fisher-sama confirmed.

"Okay," I agreed, storing the information away for later. But the plan was more important. "You've gotta stand in the front when they're picking people to go to the lady's beach house. You're skin's pretty colors so it should work. They picked me because of my hair one time because the lady likes pretty colors. If you can get to the water from there, you're free right?"

There was a long pause as Mr. Fisher-sama started down at me thoughtfully and more than a little bit surprised. "You thought up this plan by yourself, didn't you?" he asked.

"Mm-hm!" I nodded vigorously. I stopped quickly though because it made me feel light-headed. "I can't swim though, so it wouldn't work for me at all," I added honestly.

"Did…" he paused again, still staring at me, "Did you think up this plan specifically for me?"

I blinked at him. _Isn't that obvious? _"Yes."

"... Thank you." There wasn't much else he could be expected to say in this kind of situation, but still.

"Yeah, well," I mumbled, "Thank me if you survive. The Red Line's kind of big, ya' know? But I think you'll be fine, so that's good!" I added happily. I wouldn't have given him the plan if I had a bad feeling about it.

"Keep your voice down," Mr. Fisher-sama scolded.

"Sorry," I apologized automatically, but I wasn't really feeling guilty about it. I felt happy. Helping people was nice. When I got free, I'd do it more often.


End file.
